You're talking gibberish. You should probably lay yourself down and take a nap, cos you're sounding delusional.

I don't deny that Carl's Jr is gross..... which is why I said I preferred it over Five Guys. But In n Out, Five Guys Fatburger are NOT all the same. And I'll have word with anyone who tries to conflate the two inferior establishments (5G and FB) with the clearly superior product offered by INO.

I mean maybe my expectations for In-n-Out were too high, or the one I was at wasn't great...but meh. It was the most average fast food burger. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing? It wasn't bad, but when I was back out West I drove past a bunch and didn't think about stopping again.

Troy Loney wrote:Is it just me, or are the "new" primanti's locations crap? I swear I could go to the Oakland Primanti and think the sandwich is the greatest thing ever, but I've stopped at the Grove City one for food twice and thought the sandwich was absolute crap. The bread is unbearably dry and the rest of the sandwich lacks the craftmanship that you get from the sandwich artisans at the anchor locations. If this is any indication, this investment is going to fail, and potentially make me look foolish for pgh association with the sandwich.

Well.. those people for the most part wont have anything to compare it to because they've never been to the strip district, oakland, etc.

Strip is the best. Since it's the original. Both downtown locations are good. Never ate at the Oakland one.

As for suburban, the one in North Versailles is pretty good. Haven't eaten at other ones.

I think it's important to consider one's level of sobriety at each location when determining which location is best. I used to go to Primanti's in the strip after a night of drinking and the sandwiches were great, but even Dirty O food was great after a night of drinking.

I had In-and-Out one time when I was in Vegas, and I thought it was good. Kept me full, and I didn't have to go to the bathroom immediately after. I'd like to try it again because I burnt my tongue on some hot miso soup at a hibatchi grill the night before, so my taste wasn't at full strength.

I still liked Wendy's way better, though. Since then, I've noticed Wendy's is copying In-and-Outs model.

I guess I don't really care about them expanding out of the Burgh that much. They're alright but I just think of them as another fast food joint. When people ask where to eat in Pittsburgh when they're visiting, I tell them to go to about half a dozen other places before I mention Primanti's, and even then it's just because the sandwich is "unique" I guess.

mac5155 wrote:digitalgypsy is gonna come in here and pwn all of this talk with that burger joint in south carolina.

Cookout?Yeah, that place is the best.

Cookout is awesome, but I thought you were a vegetarian

Nom nom. Cookout. Forgot to get the eggnog milkshake this year. Rats.

Wasn't there a Primanti's down in Hilton Head a few years back? It would be natural to put one there and Myrtle Beach, and probably the D.C./VA metroplex. Lots of relocated Yinzers in those locations...

columbia wrote:I think the real concern of a Primant's chain would be the quality of bread.There's something about that yinzer-style eye-talian bread that is difficult to replicate.

You'd be surprised at the quality of frozen dough and bread products. You can almost run a bakery without a dough hook...just proof and bake. Although I do agree, it might be difficult to get that bread nationwide n'at.

Everyone from Pittsburgh associates Primantis with the city, but will other people?

If somebody opened one in Houston or Nashville out of the blue in a strip mall or redeveloped lifestyle center, would it be immediately associated with Pittsburgh or would it succeed or fail on its own?

To be known outside of the area as a Pittsburgh landmark, you certainly can market the chain with a Pittsburgh theme -- think gold and black color scheme, offer Iron City as the house beer, use a sports legend like Bradshaw (or someone tied to the city) on TV commercial spots, etc... On the flip-side, if you are moving into a rival Pittsburgh market, you face the chance that people will be haters because it is from a rival area and never visit regardless.

To survive outside of the area, you have to offer a reason for people to visit and hopefully return with good food, pricing, service, location, etc...

Not sure it matters if people associate it as having been started in Pittsburgh.